Pancrace Royer is mostly known as an extravagant harpsichordist, who left us some keyboard pieces full of invention. After spending number of years, accompanying rehearsals at the lyric opera he eventually became the director of the royal academy theater. This exposure to lyric works led to this composition which had a limited success during his lifetime. It is a pleasant listening, but lacks surprises. It is a long series of recitatives with occasional instrumental breaks. There are also a couple of short choral ensembles. Campra is closest to his composition style.Some of the singers do not put their accentuation on the tonic or dominant which sounds strange to my ears.

Giving an other spin for Isbé which will almost certainly be on my bestof list for 2017

The music, from the orchestration to the clever interweaving of recitative airs and choruses make this a lovely baroque opera. And the realisation by these Budapest orchestra & chorus is exemplary. I love this 3 CD set.

« Last Edit: December 03, 2017, 12:15:20 PM by Spineur »

Logged

A woman voice glides like the windOf black, of damp, of nightAnd all it touches in this flightSuddenly is over.

Went through these in the past days, all first and so far single listens:

All of them very, very nice, I found. I have to confess though that the instrumental part of the third ("Les Fêtes de Polymnie", not announced on the front cover) is not something I love these days - I just don't seem to have access to French instrumental music of that period, other than solo music (both for viola da gamba and harpsichord), but that's not Rousset and his forces fault. I love their playing in the operas as well as in the shorter "Pygmalion". And the singers and all ... this is just glorious music and I'm happy I'm finding a way in. I've heard some bits so far, including Charpentier's "Médée" as performed last season at Zurich opera - but it still feels new and unfamiliar to me.

Related, not opera, but maybe of interest to the crowd here - Marie-Claude Chappuis who is part of the cast of two of the above sets, has this new disc out on DHM, duets with Luca Pianca on lute, and gorgeous stuff, too (I guess it's quite a bit better than Pianca's disc on alpha with Roberta Mameli - that one is a bit on the cool side, both in singing as well as production, while Chappuis on DHM is cozy and warm):

Also gave a first spin to this one:

And again, both singing and playing are pretty outstanding, I found ... but it will likely not become a favourite opera, it's just a weird piece. The other 2017 Händel on Glossa, "Catone", is one more weird thing that is very interesting though, as it offers insights into how in those days opera often worked (it's basically a compilation of other composer's arias - many of which the cast of "Catone" had sung - into a new piece). Again, the singing is wonderful there,

Oh, and as this turns into kind of a round-up: did we mention this one, "La liberazione di Ruggiero dall'Isola di Alcina" by Francesca Caccini? Now we're talking, at Glossa's, too!

Giving an other spin for Isbé which will almost certainly be on my bestof list for 2017

The music, from the orchestration to the clever interweaving of recitative airs and choruses make this a lovely baroque opera. And the realisation by these Budapest orchestra & chorus is exemplary. I love this 3 CD set.

Pre-ordered this over a year back ... but just finally gave it a first spin - and I agree, it's gorgeous! Too long for regular consumption (I don't like splitting up operas, but I may have to get used to that, I see several others here going one act per day or similar), but I'll try and revisit sooner, rather than later!

Pre-ordered this over a year back ... but just finally gave it a first spin - and I agree, it's gorgeous! Too long for regular consumption (I don't like splitting up operas, but I may have to get used to that, I see several others here going one act per day or similar), but I'll try and revisit sooner, rather than later!

If you are short of time, just stick to act 5 which has the most musical beauties. And of course I just cannot get out of my head the final 4 1/2 min duo between Isbe and Corridon supported by the corus Je n'aimerai que toi. This little jewel closes the opera in the utmost quietness. So unusual and so wonderful..

Logged

A woman voice glides like the windOf black, of damp, of nightAnd all it touches in this flightSuddenly is over.

If you are short of time, just stick to act 5 which has the most musical beauties. And of course I just cannot get out of my head the final 4 1/2 min duo between Isbe and Corridon supported by the corus Je n'aimerai que toi. This little jewel closes the opera in the utmost quietness. So unusual and so wonderful..

Like most Baroque operas pretty long, lasting almost 3 hours. I know the problem described above and usually listen 1 or 2 acts in one stretch.But I wasn't bored. Though the plot is pretty standard fare for a Baroque opera: a war between two empires, a love story with two additional love triangles...Yet it's a very versatile piece, with different musical moods reflecting the themes of pride, war, triumph and defeat, lofty Arcadian scenes, love and deceat, and even satire, provided by a jester-like figure. I found the music really modern and innovative for early 18th c.

I don't mind the quick vibrato, to be honest. It reminds me a little of Supervia.

Some years ago I saw DiDonato in the Aix-en-Provence production of Hercules at the Barbican in London, and thought her performance absolutely riveting, though I can imagine some might have found it a little too realistic. In context it worked superbly.

I don't mind the quick vibrato, to be honest. It reminds me a little of Supervia.

Some years ago I saw DiDonato in the Aix-en-Provence production of Hercules at the Barbican in London, and thought her performance absolutely riveting, though I can imagine some might have found it a little too realistic. In context it worked superbly.

There is less of the vibrato in the clip you posted, perhaps because the aria lies low most of the time. I didn't enjoy Supervia's singing, however. Right now as I type, I am listening rather than watching. Her delivery may have worked onstage but I don't think it would in an audio recording as with other skilled singers such as Joan Sutherland.I believe the drama of the Baroque style in embedded in the music itself. Attempts to superimpose emotion over and above what's written distort the intention and the result.

Dug out this version of Orfeo ed Euridice with Franco Fagioli as Orfeo and Laurence Equilbey directing the insula orchestra on period instruments

This music of Gluck is so dramatic that it becomes thrilling. The mixing of the Viennese and Paris versions is a strange idea especially considering the cuts made. But I enjoyed it for the score and the commited performance.

Logged

A woman voice glides like the windOf black, of damp, of nightAnd all it touches in this flightSuddenly is over.

This arrived yesterday. My acquaintance with Nicola Porpora is mostly through recitals by counter-tenors who almost invariably include some arias written for Farinelli or Caffarelli, some of the most famous castras trained by Porpora

I found listening to Germanico in Germania most enjoyable thanks to a superior cast of baroque singers. On the other hand, if you think that Porpora was a contemporary of Josef Haydn, there is not the slightest premises of the classical period in his music. Porpora was a composer firmly anchored in the baroque era mostly concerned in developping "le beau chant". And of course when you listen to this opera, you find that this is just perfect.

« Last Edit: January 27, 2018, 09:14:29 AM by Spineur »

Logged

A woman voice glides like the windOf black, of damp, of nightAnd all it touches in this flightSuddenly is over.

This arrived yesterday. My acquaintance with Nicola Porpora is mostly through recitals by counter-tenors who almost invariably include some arias written for Farinelli or Caffarelli, some of the most famous castras trained by Porpora

I found listening to Germanico in Germania most enjoyable thanks to a superior cast of baroque singers. On the other hand, if you think Porpora was a contemporary of Josef Haydn, there is not the slightest premises of the classical period in his music. Porpora was a composer firmly anchored in the baroque era mostly concerned in developping "le beau chant". And of course when you listen to this opera, you find that this is just perfect.

Although he has recorded many, many discs, I had never heard the counter-tenor Max Emannuel Cencic (born in Croatia) before. He made a very strong impression on me in the role of Germanico. His voice is sharp, capable of reaching very high notes and conveys lots of expressivity in the mezzo-soprano range. I am thinking of getting on of his recitals CDs. Here are the one I am thinking about

(3 CD -Vivaldi-Scarlatti-Caldara)

« Last Edit: January 27, 2018, 11:19:46 AM by Spineur »

Logged

A woman voice glides like the windOf black, of damp, of nightAnd all it touches in this flightSuddenly is over.

Anna Akhomatova

Buying Music From Amazon?Please consider using these links. A small percentage of every sale using these links is passed on to GMG and helps keep this forum online.